Another Stranger Me
by Uskius
Summary: The Hyuga Affair was almost a disaster... almost. ((A series of sketches about a twist in the events of the Hyuga Affair))
1. Chapter 1

"The resemblance is uncanny," Mused A, gazing over at one of the young children playing in the schoolyard.

"Everything except the eyes, sir."

"...Alright. Let's make it official."

"I know I'm the one that suggested it, but I don't know if we could make it happen right on schedule-"

A waved away the concerns of his aide. "I've never had any use for it personally, but daimyo and kage fudge their schedules and show up late all the time. Sent a messenger bird right away about the delay."

"Yes sir." Bowing, C turned and left. The young teacher had been watching his conversation from afar, and walked over from where she had been standing near the fence.

"It's so good to know you've taken an interest in our schools, my lord," The teacher said with a bow.

"And you've done admirably instructing them," Said A, looking over at the woman. "I think our hidden village's future is looking very bright."

**~oOo~**

"How can you just do this?!"

"In return, your family will be very well taken care of," Said C. "An annual stipend, more influence on the council, and ev-"

"It's not about the money!" Shouted Chizue. "I'd been trying for a baby for _five years_ before Kirika came along, and now I'm just going to have her ripped away from me because she looks like some stupid girl halfway across the continent?! No! _No._"

"...It's not optional, ma'am-"

"You don't understand. It's been two generations since anyone in my family was born with the gift. What will they know about it there? Do they have the hidden scrolls and hundreds of years of knowledge of it at the Hyuga estate? No! You're ruining my daughter's life _completely_ by doing this!"

"Look, how about this: we send some of your family teachings and scrolls over once we're found out. They'll take it as a sign of good faith, and Kiriko will be able to learn about her heritage."

Chizue sighed angrily. "Go ahead. Fine. But I won't consider that extra compensation: it would be the bare minimum." Chizue stomped over to her front door, and opened it. "Go. And when you report back to the Raikage, tell him I won't forgive him or forget this. Ever."

**~oOo~**

"Alright, we're in. I'll let you out now." Setting the duffel bag down, the Kumo ninja unzipped it and hurriedly took out Kirika. Her contacts were in, and her outfit was of course rumpled from being swaddled in the bag, but she looked fine. "Remember, your name is Hinata Hyuga now, okay? This is a very important game. The most important one you've ever played." And with that, the Kumo ninja slung the duffel bag over their back, and vanished without a trace.

Kirika only remembered that there would be a big house, and since there was one in sight, she decided to walk towards it. There were decorations up, and she wondered what the party was for. She thought of her mother, and the long trip away from the house, and began to miss her.

"Hinata? What are you doing out here, girl?" Hiashi Hyuga walked over. "I told you so many times, stay inside the house until your uncles and everyone else gets here."

"I miss mommy," Kirika said.

"Well, your mother is inside, where you should be." Sighing, Hiashi took Kirika's hand and led her back towards the mansion. "...You know, aside from this, you've been a good girl today. I'll let you have a piece of candy, and then you can just play in your room until things are ready." Kirika nodded, and Hiashi took out a mint from his belt and handed it to her. _"It's late in the evening now, almost_ sunset," Thought Hiashi. _"She was probably getting anxious about her birthday party. You're overreacting, Hiashi. Calm down."_ Just inside the door, Hiashi saw his wife waiting for him with one of their butlers.

"Oh! Dear, have you gotten word of when your brother and his family will be over?"

"Still haven't heard a whisper, Harue. Most of them are on perimeter duty at the peace talks, so when they get back will most likely be determined by when the meeting is over."

Harue nodded, frowning slightly. "Would it be too early to give her one of her smaller gifts?" She asked quietly.

"Might as well."

"Kazuchika, take her back to her room for me while I go get it, okay?"

"Yes, mi'lady." The elderly gentleman nodded, guiding Kirika away. She didn't know the lady, but she felt safe like a mommy, which reminded her of her own mother. The house was so big, much bigger than her own home, and she wondered when the game would be over. A few minutes later they arrived, and Kazuchika opened the door for her, smiling with a bow. "Here you go, miss. Your mother will be over in just a moment."

Looking inside, Kirika was amazed by how big her new room was. It didn't look fun, but she did see a few stuffed animals on the bed: a cute gray bunny, a lion with a fluffy mane, and a doll wearing a pretty dress. She ran over to the bed and climbed up on it, and curled up around the gray bunny rabbit and waited for her pretend mommy.


	2. Chapter 2

Harue looked in from the doorway. Her daughter had been quiet for the last several days, and in an odd mood, not quite herself. She was curled up with her stuffed bunny Haruko, resting quietly on her bed. Knocking, she walked in. "Hinata, I want to talk for a minute," She said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "How are you doing, sweetie? Are you okay?"

"I don't want to be Hinata anymore," Kirika said. The words stabbed through Harue's heart, and she pulled Kirika in close, hugging her tightly. They both began to cry.

"Don't worry, baby girl. Everything will be fine," Harue cooed. "I'll get you time away from school, and we can go out and play in the park. Does that sound good?" Kirika nodded, and she looked up to Harue. For the first time in a long time, she really looked into her daughter's eyes: they were very red, there was just the tiniest sliver of another color peeking out from the edge of one of her irises. "Hinata... do your eyes hurt?" Kirika nodded, and Harue began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Here, let's go to the bathroom for a minute." She scooped up Kirika and carried her over to Hinata's bathroom. "Hold still, okay sweetie? If you do this won't hurt, it'll just feel strange for a second."

Harue kneeled down, and carefully held Kirika's eyelid open with a thumb, slowly and gently touching her fingers to the child's eye. They weren't met with the resistance of a natural iris, and Harue gulped. With a hold on it, Harue removed the contact. Looking back at her was a blue eye. A little faster, she removed the other contact, and set them both on the sink. "My eyes feel better now," Kirika said. But the mommy lady was crying again, sobbing violently, curled up into a ball resting against the cabinet under the sink. She knew the mommy lady was nice, so she walked over to give her a big hug.

**~oOo~**

"Again." Hinata looked up at the old man, who demonstrated the basic punch another time. "If one hand is out, keep the other one back, like you've got a bug in it. Switch between hands now."

Hinata struggled to do so, the punches being very different from the style she'd seen her family using. The old man hadn't been mean, but he didn't let her rest either, and she was very tired now. _"Maybe if I'm good they'll let me see momma and papa again,"_ Thought Hinata. She continued with the strange punches, occasionally remembering something about bugs and having one of her arms back. She was still in the middle of this when the door to the dojo opened.

"Great-grandpa, I just got back from the Raikage's office, they said-" Chizue stopped dead in her tracks, dropping the bag she'd been carrying. "Kirika...?" For a moment she thought that her daughter had returned, but her eyes were different, and she didn't know the basic form like Kirika had recently started to learn. And then anger swelled up in Chizue, so strong that without thinking she strode over and slapped Hinata to the floor. "What do you think you're doing?! How could you have thought this was a good idea?!"

"Chizue, if they wanted someone from the hidden village with dojutsu experience to train her, it was almost guaranteed to be someone from our family! I volunteered because since your grandmother died-" Hinata began to cry, sobbing quietly. "Because since she died, the house has felt empty. Please, Chizue. She's still just a child, and I won't be here for much longer."

"I'm defecting. If the Raikage doesn't care for his ninja, I don't care about him and this piece of shit village. Goodbye."

"Chizue, don't be so rash! Chizue!" But she continued walking without a glance back.


	3. Chapter 3

Kirika sat sulking on her bed, staring at where Haruko was on her shelf. She'd overheard so many of the arguments between Harue and the rest of the clan, and knew that she wasn't exactly wanted around; she had tried her best to be dutiful and loyal, but that hadn't been enough. "But the worst is The Look that mom gets sometimes," Thought Kirika. "No matter what she says that look tells me different. I wonder if Hinata is still out there somewhere..." She thought of her training, and how she still wasn't being taught any of the Gentle Fist forms. This sparked one of her earliest memories, something about a scroll from when the uproar had swept over Konoha. Hoping it would work, Kirika hopped off of her bed and made her way to the office.

It was a clan paperwork day for Hiashi. Somewhat predictably, a wave of new babies sprung from the tensions with Kumo had crashed down almost all at once, and he'd been charting out curse mark and branch family delegation, as well as the line of succession. The last point in particular had taken up much of his time, albeit as a distraction instead of a focus. With Hinata gone, he'd been left without an heir, and Harue grew cold and distant whenever he brought up the topic of trying for another child. He was in the midst of pondering this yet again when he heard a knock on his door. "Might as well. It's been slow progress since lunch," He thought. "Come on in."

The door slid open to reveal Kirika. She had a pensive look on her face and quietly shuffled up. "Father, I wanted to ask you for something."

"I have a lot of work to get through, Kirika, but if it's something small I may be able to help. What is it?"

Kirika glanced away for a second, then looked back up at Hiashi. "I want the scrolls that Kumo sent us."

Hiashi blinked, then set his pen down. He'd almost forgotten about it, to be honest- he knew how badly Kirika wanted to learn the Gentle Fist style, and assumed she wouldn't even care about the scrolls and their contents. He took a look at her for a moment: she had grown up healthy and strong in the two years since she had arrived, and though she still resembled Hinata, there were hints of someone else starting to come through. "She studies hard, doesn't she?" Thought Hiashi. "Perhaps she doesn't have the family's natural talent, but maybe she would be able to learn from them..." "Why, Kirika?"

"I, I want to be a good ninja and make mom proud, and, um..." She trailed off, looking down at the floor.

Sighing, Hiashi leaned back in his chair. He'd certainly provided for the girl, and he knew that Harue had grown to love her, but hadn't thought she would see anything wrong or missing in her upbringing. "Ah, the Gentle Fist style... so she's given up on being a Hyuga... and thinks we've all given up on her." "...I'm sorry, Kirika. Since you couldn't read and... complicated things when you showed up, I let the scrolls be flagged as diplomatic gifts. They're somewhere in Lord Third's library, but I'll see if I can talk to him and get them back for you. And... don't train things you might learn from them alone for a while. I want to make sure they're safe for you, okay?" Kirika nodded, and Hiashi got up to give her a hug.

~oOo~

Hinata felt out of place waiting with the others. The Raikage and C and the rest of the Hibana clan were gathered under the pavillion as Shin'ichi sat soaking in the downpour. She knew that he was an incredibly old man, but he'd still had a twinkle in his eye. She thought of his strict training, and also of how kind and tired he had been in the last few weeks. There was a distant peal of thunder, and Hinata saw everyone sit up straight and quiet down.

Shin'ichi used his cane to stand up, and walked a bit farther away from the pavillion. "She needs to see this," He thought. "The traditional death of the Hibana and what it means to be a ninja..." Shin'ichi almost looked back, almost. He formed the half ram hand seal and activated his Raigan, electric blue light glinting from his three now lightning bolt-shaped pupils which revolved clockwise. The charge buildup was still too far away, and he coaxed it closer with the Raigan, strengthening it until the breakdown point was near. Then, the moment came: a livid purple tongue of lightning snaked down from the storm, striking Shin'ichi; he glowed brightly for a moment, and then with another bolt and flash of light he disappeared, leaving his clothes smoking on the ground.

The Raikage stood, taking his umbrella and snapping it over his knee before tossing it to the ground. The others under the pavilion followed suit, tossing their umbrellas down after breaking them, making a pile. Hinata was still not quite sure of what had happened to Shin'ichi, but stood and tried to break her umbrella, too. It took two tries but she did it. Not knowing where to go, she stood near the Raikage as the rest of the Hibana clan filed past with their umbrellas. "Where did Grandpa Shin go, Mister Raikage?" Hinata asked quietly.

"He's in the storm," A answered, gesturing to the clouds. He thought of how he had served with the man in the ending and beginning of their careers, and his work with his father and his father before him; he thought of how the Raigan was now absent from Kumo's active ninja, and what they had gained in its place. "...You'll stay at the Hibana estate, but I'll have you enrolled at our ninja academy a little early, to train there," Said A, looking back down at Hinata. "Kumo needs you to be strong, Hinata. Do your best and work hard to improve."

"Yes, sir." A signaled to C, and he led the procession out. Hinata stayed behind to watch it, until she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

"Take these, and let's go." Shin'ichi's nephew, who had brought Hinata with him, handed his uncle's folded and soaked clothes to her. She hugged them tightly, gazing at the ground as she walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

The cavernous fart echoed around the room as Kirika sat down. She felt her cheeks and ears burn with a blush, and kept her gaze glued to her desk as her classmates tried and failed not to giggle. _"Where is he?"_ Kirika thought angrily, looking around the classroom. _"There."_ Naruto had been standing behind one of the other boys, peeking over his shoulder, but quickly ducked out of view once he realized he'd been spotted.

"I realize that that was the funniest thing to have ever happened, but you all need to settle down so we can start class," Iruka said dryly. _"Fourth time this week. I need to start handing out punishments for pranks during class,"_ Iruka thought. Naruto and Kirika had been carrying out an occasionally covert but mostly brazen prank war for the last several weeks, trying to one-up the other in increasingly obnoxious and noxious ways- but(relatively) fortunately, the pranks had become more personal and less indiscriminate recently. "Come on, go ahead and get seated so we can start."

The giggles died down as everyone got to their seats. Kirika could feel Naruto looking at her still, but got out her pencil and focused on the desk. Kirika bit her lip in anticipation, waiting for the moment... then it happened: Naruto finally sat down, unleashing a loud fart with a mystic and devastating smell. He jumped about two feet off his seat and immediately turned to glare at Kirika, who coughed and kept her head down. "Aw c'mon, don't act like it wasn't you!" He shouted, pointing his finger at her. "You can't-" Naruto gagged, looking down at his stomach. "You c- ...oh no."

"Open the window! Hurry!" Ino cried. Iruka sighed and made a note to put both of them in detention, then got up to open the window.

**~oOo~**

"How many are there?"

"Three," Hinata answered, her eyes looking much farther than just the treeline in front of her.

"And what are they doing?" Yorui asked, folding his arms on his chest.

"They're... sitting, waiting around for something," Replied Hinata.

Yorui nodded. "Good. Now forty-five degrees to your left, focus farther out."

Hinata concentrated focusing more chakra into her Byakugan. She was tired, having expected a week off from the ninja academy along with the other students, but instead had been pulled into an intense training camp focused on her Byakugan. She began to feel that pin-prick needling pain through her eyes, but grit her teeth and pushed past it. The pain intensified, and before she blinked and had to stop, she briefly glimpsed a handful of other people far away. "Sorry, instructor Yorui," Apologized Hinata.

"You're improving, but I do want you to work on becoming used to the pain. There will be times when it's crucial to work through it and your life will depend on that," Yorui said, scratching his dark beard for a moment. "Were you able to see anything else?"

"Not for long, but I did, sir. I think I saw some other people out there." Hinata gulped, thinking of how the pain in her eyes would get so bad all at once.

_"Already she's progressed to near the average distance our intel has indicated,"_ Yorui thought, seeing how Hinata was still just a small child. _"If she's been able to learn the basics and more at such a young age, who knows what she'll be capable of when she's older..."_ "Alright. That'll be all for today's distance training. You need to do a little more hand to hand work." Hinata bowed and rubbed her eyes, taking up a fighting stance. Yorui had been the one drafted to create a fighting style around the Byakugan, being one of Kumo's most elite close quarters fighters without any prior obligations. It had been slow work mapping out the chakra pathways and meridians with Hinata at first, but in recent months, things had been progressing and evolving quickly. Yorui was confident Hinata would be his equal or better someday if they were able to continue building up the style. He allowed himself a small smirk at the thought, and began demonstrating the forms for the day's lesson.


	5. Chapter 5

Kirika looked to Shino and Kiba, who appeared similarly surprised at the news. "Did you say _Chunin Exams_, Miss Kurenai?" Asked Kirika.

"I too am trying to process the sudden and unexpected news," Shino added, Akamaru piping in with a yip.

"You guys have proven yourselves as a team and individually over the last few years," Kurenai said. "I think you're ready- though, that's not to say this won't be a challenge. There are some missions only chunin get to go on, just like there are some only jonin can go on. If you pass- and you should- this will only help you grow even more."

Kirika bit her lip in thought. "What about the ninja from the other hidden villages? If we meet them during the exam, then...?"

"There will be several teams of medics on hand," Answered Kurenai, seeing Kirika relax slightly. "But if you use the Mind Touch or Heart Touch, or if your three do anything else lethal, you will be punished accordingly."

Team 8 nodded in acceptance. Kirika thought of the Hibana clan's scrolls, and the method of unlocking the Atsumaru Kumo no Me form of the Raigan. _"I know what I have to do, but... I don't know if I have the strength to do it. There's just no safe way..."_ She thought. Kirika looked at her team. _"I believe in them. There's no one we can't find, and if I'm gonna be taking the exam, I'm glad it's with them."_

**~oOo~**

One last push flattened the cardboard box; it was put on the stack with the others, and sealed away in the utility scroll. Hinata put her hands on her hips and looked around the room: her flak jacket and Grandpa Shin's yukata hung on the back of the door, her two swords leaning against the wall next to it; the bonsai tree on one bedside table, and the lamp on the other; her writing desk, and the window seat with the view of the mountain. Hinata went to sit in the window, pulling her knees up to her chest and looking out.

_"I wonder if she feels the same way,"_ Hinata thought. _"Like nothing more than a weapon... I'm not sure why I was thinking I was still part of the clan, I was never going to be. It was a transplant, not an adoption. But at least I have a place of my own, now..."_ Hinata pulled her long braid over her shoulder and stroked it for a moment. She had never done more than trim its split and dead ends over the last several years, with it being the last thing from her birth mother that could not be made into an instrument of death. It began to rain. The thunder and raindrops against the window were soothing, and Hinata slowly relaxed. She got up and went over to her writing desk, sitting down and getting out a pen and paper.

_"It's raining now. I often wonder if you are_

_Calmed by storms, or if you hate it being wet._

_I remember when I was very small that the_

_Sound of storms would scare me. I am _

_Twelve now, and too old to be scared by such_

_Silly things. They make me think of you and_

_Grandpa Shin, and they're like a hug from_

_Him, and a way to hug you, too. _

_I've been training very hard lately, and have_

_Been going on so many missions I've saved_

_Up a lot of money, and was able to buy my_

_Own small place to live. If you write back,_

_I won't be at the estate any more: I'm at_

_The edge of the village now, halfway to the_

_Cloud line. It'll be hard to remember to cook_

_Instead of going to buy something at the_

_Market. Maybe if you visit, we could go into_

_The village and get a bowl of naruto ramen_

_Sometime._

_Your Sister,_

_Hinata."_

Hinata folded the letter and put it in an envelope, writing her name and new address on the front. Then, after looking at it for a moment, put it in the drawer with the others.


	6. Chapter 6

"It would be terrible if we had to drink the water out here unpurified, yeah," Kirika agreed. "But we _do_ have the purification tablets, remember? It only takes a few minutes for them to work."

"They might make it safe to drink, but they don't make it pleasant," Tenten complained, her nose crinkling up at the memory of the bitter taste.

"Between having the runs and a bad taste in my mouth, the bad taste wins every time," Kakashi added from his hammock, looking up from his light novel. He gave the sky a quick glance. "Kirika, back on lookout duty. When it's time to go, we need to move in at once."

"Yes sir." She and Tenten packed and sealed away lunch, and Kirika went a few long jumps between trees into the forest to her spot. Chidori- the rogue ninja and their band- was the focus of the mission. They were the flanking team aiming to capture Chidori, while the two other teams were waiting to invade the hideout. Kirika activated her Raigan, her irises becoming pure blue and their pupils shaped like a lightning bolt. _"The charges of my team, local wildlife... no surges. Alright."_ Thought Kirika, who shifted into a more comfortable position. _"I know it's not a competition, but I've heard Neji will be taking the jonin exam in the near future. I know I have a long missions success streak but I can't help but feel like there's something I'm missing... well, there's that, but that's nothing new. My taijutsu, maybe? I don't know..."_ The watch passed slowly, riddled with Kirika's self doubts. She almost didn't notice when the signal bolt went up. "Captain, they just sent the flare!"

"Double time, let's go!" Kakashi said, tucking away his novel in his vest as he sprang up.

What Kirika saw very clearly, however, was a strong surge of electrical charges off in the distance. "I just saw a group off at ten o' clock, moving north-west!"

"Full speed, we have to catch them!" Kirika took the lead with Kakashi, guiding them through the canopy on the sprint. He gave the signal to fan out. Kirika took point on the triangle, readying her kunai. She drew parallel with the charges she had seen, and then pulled ahead, gritting her teeth and straining her speed as hard as she could.

_"There! Get the kunai set,"_ Kirika thought, flinging out the ones she'd been running with and pulling out more to anchor into the ground and canopy. _"It's a group of three, just like us. The trap works, Kirika. You aren't here to eliminate them..."_ She barely had time to catch her breath when the lead ninja approached: they were tall and slim, most likely a woman, and had very short blue hair, wearing an old Kumo flak jacket. As soon as they passed the first kunai Kirika formed the release seal. Electricity sparked between the kunai before they lanced into the rogue ninja with spears of lightning, causing her to cry out as she seized up. Kirika formed another three hand seals, then prepared to dash in. "Hyuga Style: Thunderclap!" Flickering in, the charged up punch connected with the rogue ninja's ribs under their arm, the loud crack reverberating through them and driving them to the forest floor with a shock wave.

But as Kirika kneeled down to apply the sealing chain to their arms, the rogue ninja rolled over and kipped up. "...Should've expected one of you to show up," They grumbled, wiping the blood from their lips.

"Well, you're going to have much bigger problems than me once my team takes you in," Kirika countered, pulling out a kunai into a reverse grip. "And you're them, aren't you? Chidori?"

"I have no name. Chidori is a movement, and I'm the leader. Family and personal names are completely worthless to me," Chizue spat out. "It's a shame they've already-" Chizue halted, blinking. "You... you _can't_ be her..."

"Can't be who?" Asked Kirika, tense and uneasy.

"After I left Kumo I made it my mission to save people like you from becoming part of the machine!" Chizue sobbed. "And to have _you_, after all this time, become one of them...!" Chizue howled, drawing the sword on her back. Startled, Kirika hurriedly performed the seals for the kunai trap, but as the lightning stabbed towards Chizue she glowed electric blue, and was unfazed by the jolts. Kirika's jaw dropped in shock, and she stumbled back a few steps.

"How did you learn that jutsu?" She stuttered. "That's- that's a Hibana clan technique!"

"I used to be one... just like you." Quickly, Chizue formed the Snake hand seal. "Lightning Release: False Darkness!" She opened her mouth and took a deep breath, electricity beginning to crackle there.

Time seemed to slow and clarify for Kirika. _"I won't be able to dodge at this range! There's only one thing I can do..."_ She thought, forming the half Ram seal to focus and looking Chizue in the eye. False Darkness ripped through Kirika, the immensely high voltage throwing her back off her feet and igniting her shirt under her flak jacket. She stared up at the canopy in shock, only hearing the chirping of birds.

"We were too late," Tenten said, a lump in her throat. "Two down, but we didn't get the one that mattered..."

Kakashi removed his hand from the wound Lightning Cutter had inflicted on Chizue and walked over to Kirika. Her breaths were slow and shallow, her pulse faint; her eyes, which had once had one lightning bolt shaped pupil, now had three. "...No, she's still alive- but she's seriously injured. Stay here with her while I fall back and assist the front entry teams."

"Yes, captain." Kakashi flickered away, and Tenten ran over to Kirika, kneeling down beside her and patting out her burning shirt. They had not been on the best of terms as academy students and genin, but as chunin, their shared work ethic had slowly drawn them together as friends as they matured into their teens. Tenten rested Kirika's head on her lap and closed her eyes for moment.

~oOo~

The cell door was slammed open, and a bucket of water was splashed in Hinata's face as she was dragged out. "Take her up to the surface," Yorui ordered the prison guards. "It's time for the gauntlet."

"Finally..." Hinata said to herself. The secret- which was merely what the Raikage had for lunch the previous day- had been fiercely kept, Hinata not breaking under the myriad pains and illusions of the interrogations. The dim lights of the underground prison flickered as they passed down the long hallway. They went up the narrow flights of stairs, and the afternoon sun almost blinded Hinata as the came out of the bunker.

"Head to the Northern training grounds. You have half an hour," Said Yorui. "Arrive on time or you fail." The field itself was a ten minute run outside the village, which was fifteen minutes north-west of the underground prison. Hinata calmly took out her small emergency essentials scroll from her bra and opened it, unsealing the contents. She put on a new pair of boots, ate a soldier pill, strapped on two swords and equipment holster, then sealed the scroll back up and put it away. "You don't have a minute to waste, applicant four," Yorui said as his former pupil slowly started stretching out. Hinata gave him a look over her shoulder, then stood and flickered away.

Hinata arrived in twenty minutes. She activated her Byakugan and paused a moment to catch her breath. _"Everywhere except South, but they're closing in."_ In one motion Hinata drew her two swords and took up a ready stance. The first ninja appeared from behind her. They came in around the mountain, from behind the trees, and across the horizon out of foxholes. They circled around her, shifting and forming more and more rings. Still, Hinata stayed calm, waiting until they were a jump away to spring into action. She took a high jump into the air while forming a half ram and tensed up. "Hyuga Style: Thunderclap." The kick and chakra emitted from her heel compressed the air quickly and fast enough for Hinata to jump off of it, sailing through the air with her braid trailing behind her. Tucking the blades under her armpits for a moment she formed the six hand seals in a flash. "Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!" Orbs of electricity swelled over her hands and then burst out, splintering to precisely strike each of the dozens of ninja, who fell to the ground stunned.

A quick scan of the training ground with her Byakugan revealed the other ninja had begun moving in. _"Standard trident approach. So those must have been fresh genin who'd never seen battle in the first wave..."_ Thought Hinata. _"They know I know they won't surprise me, so the prong on the wooded side will be to field the stronger fighters with cover while I'm distracted by the less experienced ones in the open."_ Hinata sprinted over towards the trees, swords at the ready.

Holding her sword in one hand for a second, Hinata slung out an arc of kunai a short ways before the trees, pausing as one of them triggered a hidden exploding tag. She leapt high into the air, chaining a Thunderclap with a Body Flicker and then a Substitution Jutsu, perching on a tree limb hidden behind the squads. _"Three, two, one..."_ The tree limbs Hinata had Substituted with crashed down into the canopy. She flickered into action as it drew the attention of the squads, using her old Eye Hidden in the Clouds style to strike at their tenketsu and disable their arms and legs. Frequently using the Substitution Jutsu, she was able to confuse and overwhelm the four squads in close quarters, dodging their strikes and occasionally knocking one out with the flat of her sword blades. Hinata sheathed them as the last one fell unconscious, and took a moment to catch her breath.

_"Alright... I need to change my approach if they're sending even more competent ninja each wave. I can't be predictable..."_ Seeing that the other two prongs of the trident formation had closed in, Hinata jumped out from the treeline. The leading squads had fanned out to pin her against the trees. Throwing out a wide arc of kunai, she used the Substitution Jutsu on the kunai to switch them with the smoke bombs in her holster as the ninja began to dodge. She took one of the kunai from her holster as the smoke bombs burst into thick gray clouds and nicked her palm and then formed the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu. A bolt of lightning struck the ground out of nowhere, kicking up a small dust cloud as the beast arrived. It was over twice Hinata's height, at first seeming to have the appearance of a white wolf. A closer look revealed it had tiger stripes on its legs and a badger's stripe down its head and spine, and the underside of its tail was scaled, like a snake's. Its fur glowed and crackled with an electric light, and it gave a chilling howl before looking over to Hinata.

"Boss, we gonna play or what? C'mon, let's go!" It said, pawing at the ground.

"I'm busy, but there are some ninja behind those clouds of smoke for you to play with, Li'l Rai," Answered Hinata. "Just roughhouse with them until they take little naps, okay? I have some very strong ninja to fight. Come find me after your play date's over." Her raiju summon yipped with glee and bounded away in a flash. Hinata got her emergency essentials scroll again, unsealing it and taking a flak jack and new forehead protector to wear. _"Two north-west, one farther West in the woods, and in the South... that has to be instructor Yorui. I'll take him on last,"_ Thought Hinata, who was beginning to feel the effects of the soldier pill start to kick in. She put the scroll away and headed back into the woods towards where the (most likely)jonin was observing the second phase in hiding.

Very cautiously Hinata edge closer, going slowly as if she was another of the test's proctors observing the battle. Once she was in range she Substituted with a tree branch above the hidden ninja, drawing her swords as she fell down on them. The ninja rolled away in shock, drawing their own sword as they stood. Their was a brief pause as recognition flashed in their eyes: this was Bachiko, who had taught swordsmanship during the years Hinata studied at the academy. Without any preamble the woman flickered in to begin her assault.

The gap in skills was immediately evident. Despite having another sword and an advantage in speed, Bachiko was also an incredibly fast ninja; her blocks and footwork were effortless and precise, her aggression and intent clear. "Cloud Style: Thunder Beheading!" Bachiko jumped back out of range, the arc of electricity flying out from Hinata's sword and splitting a tree open with a loud crack. Hinata had used Bachiko's brief focus on the attack to slip behind a tree. _"I'll only get one shot at this...!"_ She thought. Using two separate hand seals she formed a Shadow Clone and then Substituted it with a tree trunk near Bachiko. The duel resumed, intense and vicious, a calm and unfocused look on Bachiko's face. She disarmed the clone once, twice, kicked one of its legs out from under it and flickered behind it, holding a sword across its throat.

"Beating the genin is mandatory. We all knew you would do that, though," Said Bachiko, in a surprisingly pleasant and friendly tone. "Making it past the chunin is standard and routine, though not everyone does. Darui was the last to make it past all the exam proctors. But, I do admire your audacity. You might have even been able to battle Sorui to a draw." As Bachiko withdrew her sword and pulled the clone up, Hinata Substituted it with the trunk of the tree she had been hiding behind, having stuck a kunai with an exploding tag into it. Bachiko immediately pulled the kunai out and hurled it away, and while her back was turned to the trunk, Hinata used the Substitution Jutsu to take its place and use two lightning fast strikes to disable her.

Hinata caught Bachiko as her legs buckled and laid her down gently as the exploding tag went off. She stood and bowed deeply, then raced back towards the field to find Li'l Rai resting with his head on the midsection of an unconscious chunin. "Oh, there you are! Y'know, I forgot about going to find you. Sorry, boss."

"It's okay. Will you help me fight now?"

"Oh, but I don't like fighting," Li'l Rai whined.

"This is very important! I know you signed the contract to play, but I need your help. You are a raiju, not a puppy." It hurt Hinata to say this, as she did enjoy Li'l Rai's youthful spirit and energy.

"Oh... but can we play after the fight?" Li'l Rai asked.

"Yes. Now, stand up and get ready." Li'l Rai sighed, but did as commanded. Hinata jumped up to sit on his back, all her hair instantly standing on end. She closed her eyes to focus for a moment, then made the hand seal as Li'l Rai provided the chakra. "Combination Transformation Jutsu!" With a glow their forms became indistinct and molded, then expanding to become something new: Li'l Rai now had two canine heads, as well as two more back legs and tails, in addition to him having the Byakugan. The two took a moment to pinpoint the duo off to the north-west, then crossed half the distance there in a single bound.

Sorui and Hachiro were taken by surprise as Hinata appeared instantaneously. "That's her summon, right? She's nearby!" Hachiro warned. Being the genjutsu expert of the duo, he looked right into Li'l Rai's eyes to use the Paralysis Genjutsu and end the fight before it started, but found himself completely unable to alter the chakra flow. "That's not a normal level of control for a summon," Hachiro noted to himself. It was only a small pause before Hinata sprung into action again. She snarled and snapped at them, swiping at them with every paw she could. The jonin duo was on the defensive, having of course heard of a raiju summon, but only in stories of the hidden village's founding long ago.

"Hachiro! One leg and side at a time!" Sorui called. His partner flipped and dodged on his way over, and as he got into position, Sorui saw the Byakugan in Li'l Rai's eyes. He froze for only a split second, but even that was too long for Hinata's enhanced vision and reflexes. She lunged past Hachiro and slammed her paw into Sorui, striking at his tenketsu and disabling his arms as he was driven into the ground. Hachiro was finally able to land a solid blow now that he was inside Hinata's guard, the heavy kick knocking the near leg away and allowing him to score a fierce heel kick to the bottom of her jaw as he backflipped out of the way- only to find that the second head had lunged over, and caught him between its teeth. He felt a shock, and found he could no longer move his arms and legs.

Sorui kipped up as Li'l Rai tossed Hachiro down. He was still mobile, but without using his arms for momentum and balance he wasn't able to evade and put up enough of a fight for very long, and with another stomp he was slammed into the ground, and became unable to move his legs. "Not bad, Hinata. But now your secret's out. A raiju summon? You'll have every ninja in this hidden village gunning for your spot once the news breaks." Hinata snarled, then leaped into the air and rocketed away with a clap of thunder.

Landing near where she had defeated the chunin squads in the trees, Hinata released the Combination Transformation jutsu. She looked down at her heavily bruised forearm and flexed her fingers and wrist. Li'l Rai whimpered, giving her puppy eyes and a sad look. "...Thank you. That'll be all for now." He nodded, and vanished with a lightning bolt up. _"Instructor Yorui's closed in. It's time to end this,"_ Hinata thought as she scanned the training grounds with her Byakugan. She was winded from the focus of maintaining the Combination Transformation and having to keep up with two jonin ninja in a form not her own, but pushing past pain was the skill she felt most confident in.

Yorui met her halfway in a small clearing. "I see you've found out what the third phase of the gauntlet is, applicant f-" Hinata cut him off by lancing in to attack. _"This... puts a smile on my face,"_ Yorui thought. _"I never taught her this. This is battlefield, tried-and-true kill or be killed form."_ The problem, however, was that while he had never taught it to Hinata, he still had to deal with it. For a moment, he tried to bait Hinata into using the Eye Hidden in the Clouds style by using attack patterns that left the major targets of it a short counter away, but she didn't go for it. Then he noticed the bruising on her forearm. He focused his counters on her leg and hip of the opposite side, whipping her with low kicks and stepping inside of her checks at the last second to change the angle of the fight. He used the momentum of a pivot dodge to slingshot a roundhouse towards Hinata's neck, which she only had time to block with her bruised forearm. But, when Yorui tried to plant his foot to shift after the kick, he had lost control of it and his ankle rolled. Without mercy or hesitation Hinata smashed his nose with a side heel kick, knocking Yorui clean out and sending him tumbling several yards away until he smacked into a tree.

There was silence in the clearing. Hinata closed her eyes, and took deep breaths. _"The first time I've ever beaten him in a serious duel,"_ She thought. Perhaps she would feel pride or happiness later, but for the moment, she was sore. Opening her flak jacket, she took out the emergency essentials scroll and unsealed her first aid kit, and walked over to tend to Yorui. He woke up as she set his nose, groaning.

"That bruise of yours mean you found one of the other three?" Asked Yorui. Hinata simply nodded. Yorui thought it odd she would be stopping in the middle of the exam to administer first aid, then realized what the unusual moment meant. Chuckling, he said, "After you're done, I'll signal the end of the exam, and then we'll head to the Raikage's office to make it official. Congrats, Hinata. You'll be Kumo's youngest jonin since Darui." Hinata nodded again, not making eye contact as she finished the field dressing. She helped Yorui up, and he made the Dragon hand seal, raising his arm to the sky. "Lightning Signal!" The bolt surged up, and Hinata felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. "Alright. Let's get going." Hinata bowed, and followed Yorui back towards Kumo.


End file.
